This invention relates to rollable carts adapted for storage and transportation of sports equipment such as balls, bats, tennis rackets, and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to such carts which are further adapted for dispensation of sports play balls.
Rollable carts adapted for storage and transportation of sports equipment are known. Where a rollable sports equipment cart is particularly adapted for simultaneous storage and transportation of several different types of balls, bats, ball gloves, tennis rackets, and other sports equipment, such sports equipment cart typically is heavy, unwieldy, mechanically complex, and is uneconomically constructed.
The instant inventive sports equipment cart solves or ameliorates the above problems and deficiencies by incorporating a preferred polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) pipe or tube as the primary structural element of the cart, such tube performing multiple functions, including rollable carriage of balls, ball storage, and dispensation of balls.
The primary structural component of the instant inventive sports equipment cart comprises an open ended, substantially vertically oriented, tube or pipe. Preferably, the tube or pipe is an extruded polyvinyl chloride plastic pipe having a common ten inch nominal pipe size with a 9.976 inch inside diameter and a 10.75 inch outside diameter. Such inside diameter allows the tube to freely receive sports balls such as regulation basketballs and soccer balls. Suitably, such tube may be alternately composed of injected molded plastic, rotationally molded plastic, tube rolled cardboard, molded fiberglass, or rolled sheet metal crimp jointed or riveted at the seam. Suitably, though less desirably, extruded metal piping may be utilized.
The preferred extruded PVC ten inch nominal size tube is preferably three feet to four feet in height, has an open upper end, has an open and angularly back cut lower end, and has a saddle shaped ball dispensing aperture through the front end of its lower side wall, such aperture being of a size sufficient to allow outward dispensation of sports balls such as basketballs, footballs, and soccer balls from the hollow bore of the tube.
Preferably, a solid axle extends laterally through the lower end of the preferred PVC tube from its left side to its right side, and left and right wheels are preferably rotatably mounted upon the protruding left and right ends of said axles. The wheels and axle are preferably positioned so that the wheels extend downwardly approximately one-fourth inch from the lower end of the tube and so that the wheels extend rearwardly from the angular back cut. Suitably, less desirably, left and right fixedly attached post or stub axles may extend in a cantilevered fashion from the left and right sides of the lower end of the preferred PVC tube. Where the preferred laterally extending solid axle is utilized, such axle advantageously dually serves as a slide stop, positioning sports balls for dispensation through the ball dispensing aperture, and as the wheel rotatable mounting means. Where post or stub axles are utilized, a floor or other slide stopping means is necessarily provided.
The rearward upper end of the side wall of the preferred PVC tube preferably has a laterally oblongated hand hold aperture for convenient manual pushing or pulling of the sports equipment cart. Suitably, a cantilevered handle may be fixedly attached to the annular outer surface of the tube at its upper rearward end.
Preferably, a plurality of secondary ball dispensing tubes of varying nominal sizes smaller than that of the primary tube, fixedly attached to the annular outer surface of the primary tube. Like the primary tube, such secondary tubes are preferably composed of polyvinyl chloride plastic, and are configured substantially identically with the primary tube. In place of the preferred slide stopping axle of the primary tube. A slide stopping rods preferably extend through the lower ends of such secondary ball dispensing tubes. The secondary ball dispensing tubes serve the function of storage and dispensation of smaller balls such as tennis balls, baseballs, and softballs.
The edge surfaces of the primary tube and the secondary tubes are each preferably lined and reinforced with adhesively attached flexible xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d channel trim. Suitably, all such edges may be trimmed with a half round router driven bit.
Preferably, a variety of types of sports equipment hanging brackets and hooks are attached to the annular outer surface of the primary tube. For example, xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d brackets fabricated from short lengths of two inch PVC tubing may be fixedly attached to the annular outer surface of the primary tube by spirally threaded bolts and nuts; such brackets being utilized for storage and dispensation of baseball and softball bats. As another example, hooks and brackets commonly utilized in conjunction with work shop peg boards may be removably and adjustably mounted upon the primary tube, such mounting being facilitated through provision of one-eighth inch to one-fourth inch side wall apertures configured similarly with those of a common peg board.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanically simple and economically constructed sports equipment carrying cart.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a cart incorporating a primary tube adapted to serve multiple functions including ball storage, ball dispensation, and as a rollable cart frame.
Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become known to those skilled in the art upon review of the Detailed Description which follows, and upon review of the appended drawings.